Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Devils (Game #29)

The Canadiens (16-9-3) visit the Prudential Center Wednesday night to face the Devils (11-12-5) for the second leg of their home and home series. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS and TSN.

The Habs and Devils are meeting for the second straight time after a night’s rest, they play one more time this season. Monday night the Canadiens earned a hard fought 3-2 win, they scored 2 goals on 4 shots in the second period before Alex Galchenyuk buried the game winner in the third period.

What to Watch:

David Desharnais picked up first star honors Monday night for the two assists he picked up. In his last 4 games Desharnais has 5 points, 4 assists and a game winning goal. He only had 4 points in his previous 22 games.

Quebec City native Steve Bernier opened the scoring for the Devils on Monday with his second goal in consecutive games. Michael Ryder scored the other goal for the Devils on Monday, it was just his sixth goal in 28 games with New Jersey.

What’s at Stake:

Montreal’s winning ways continue, they’ve picked up points in their last 7 games and have just 1 regulation loss in their last 11. The success has brought them up to second place in the Atlantic division, just 3 points behind the Boston Bruins, their Thursday night opponents.

Who’s Out:

Davis Drewiske still out with a shoulder injury, every other Hab is healthy.

The Devils are without forwards, Ryan Carter (head), Stephen Gionta (ankle) and Ryan Clowe (concussion) as well as Adam Larsson (lower body) and team captain Bryce Salvador (foot). Adam Henrique sustained a lower body injury during Monday’s contest and is questionable for Wednesday.

What Else:

On top of being the second part of a home and home series, Wednesday’s contest is the first part Montreal’s seventh set of back to back games, the Habs will play 17 sets throughout the season. The Canadiens are 7-4-1 in the twelve games they’ve already played and 3-2-1 in the first portion of back to backs.

A big part of the Habs success in back to back situations has been the play of Peter Budaj. Budaj has played 6 games, all of which in these situations. His stellar 1.63 GAA and .939 save percentage have helped him post a 4-1-1 record so far this season.

The Question Mark:

We want to hear from you, offense, defense, goaltending or coaching – what’s played the biggest role in the Habs’ recent success?

Let us know what you think by sending us a message on Twitter using the #MTLHockey hashtag, or leave us a comment below.

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.